practice. In the absence of more accurate the key concepts. Student work showsengaging all students in learning,data, evaluators tend to rely on theiran in-depth understanding of key con-helping students develop a deep under-impressions or their personal opinionscepts. The arguments, questions posed,standing of content, effectively com-of teachers. Consequently, teachers con- and methods used go well beyond themunicating with students, caring forsider the evaluations neither valid norgrasp of the key concepts typicallyindividual students, and helping allreliable.

found at this level of experience”). Most students succeed in school. This helped

In Search of a Better System

The interim report on the two-yearimportant, this question invited peerreviewers and the teacher to focus onstudent learning.

clarify what was expected of teachers
and what to assess in teacher evaluation.

As a result of these efforts, evaluatorsimplementation of the new teacherIn the post-observation meeting,were able to give more constructiveevaluation system has reignited a heated peer reviewers and the teacher dis-feedback, which teachers found useful.

debate. But even as discussions continue cussed the key concepts in the observed Teachers reported that their school-about how to improve the process,lesson, whether students learned thosebased teacher evaluation system wasschools in South Korea are demon-concepts, and which evidence illustrated highly effective at promoting their pro-strating new approaches to imple-menting the teacher evaluation systemfessional development (Ministry of Edu-cation, Science, and Technology, 2012).

and are obtaining better results. Their
efforts suggest several ways to improve
the national system.

Hangang Middle School:A Focus on Teacher Autonomy

In the first year of implementing the

Why not putmore effort intosupporting teachers’collaborative efforts

Namsan High School:A Focus on Collective Responsibility

While experts grapple with value-addedteacher evaluation models, which seekto identify the specific contribution anindividual teacher has made to a stu-new teacher evaluation system, teachersat Hangang Middle School in Seoul used

posits that improving student learning isa collaborative endeavor, that all partiesuseful in identifying teachers’ strengthsinvolved—teachers, parents, and theand weaknesses or improving theirstudents themselves—are responsiblepractices. The second year, the teachers that learning. Given this information,for student learning.

decided to develop a school-levelthe peer reviewers were able to discussIn Namsan High School inteacher evaluation system and use it inwith the teacher how he or she mightGyeonggido, Korea, teachers havecombination with the national system to improve the lesson.

developed a school-level peer review
overcome the latter’s weaknesses.

In particular, the teachers emphasized system that encourages collaborationThe teachers kept the framework ofbuilding a shared understanding of theamong teachers. Teachers in the samethe national system—including peerstandards of performance and clarifying department form teams of four or five.

review, student and parent surveys,what good teaching looks like. ForBecause most students will take theevaluation questions, and scoringexample, a team of teachers conductedcollege entrance exam in the 12th grade,rubrics—but developed three open-student, parent, and teacher surveysteachers focus on promoting students’ended questions for peer review as wellat the beginning of the school year toacademic achievement. The teacheras two additional questions using a five-understand these major stakeholders’teams collaboratively diagnose indi-point scale.

The teachers discussed the surveyresults with both students and parentsand came to a consensus. All partiesagreed that good teaching involvedOnce a month, a team member con-ducts an open lesson as other teammembers observe. After the obser-vation, the team holds post-observationmeetings and evaluates the lesson.

The evaluation focuses on identifying
the strengths and weaknesses in the
teacher’s practice and clarifying what the
teacher might do to improve.